russell



y 26, 1955 w. L. RUSSELL DISPENSING MEANS FOR FABRIC ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1954 INVENTOR. WALTER L. RUSSELL Q BY mm ATTORNEY July 26, 1955 Filed June 1, 1954 W. L. RUSSELL DISPENSING MEANS FOR FABRIC ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

WALTER L RUSSELL July 26, 1955 w. L. RUSSELL DISPENSING MEANS FOR FABRIC ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 1, 1954 INVENTOR. WALTER L. RUSSELL Unite tates kerb DISPENSING MEANS? li -GR FABRIC ARTICLES Walter Lee Russell, Wichita, Kans.

Application June 1, 1954, Serial No. 433,339

7 Claims. (Cl. 194-4) This invention relates to dispensing. In a more specific aspect, this invention relates to apparatus for dispensing a fabric article upon the insertion therein of another fabric article. In a still more specific aspect, this invention relates to new apparatus for the dispensing of a clean towel, particularly a cotton towel, upon the insertion into the apparatus of a like towel which is soiled.

Apparatus is known in the prior art which will dispense fabric articles, such as cotton towels used for wiping rags in machine shops, garages, and the like. And, some of these machines do such dispensing upon the insertion of soiled towels. The purpose of machines of this nature is to prevent loss of towels by the company supplying and laundering same and by the business owner, the general idea being to prevent carelessness on the part of the employee worker in that his soiled towel must be deposited in the dispensing apparatus in order to obtain a clean one. The machines of the prior art have many disadvantages. They are not very foolproof and will not protect against insertion of articles other than towels to operate the mechanism to deliver a clean towel. Also, some of the apparatus can be operated to deliver more than one clean towel upon the insertion of a single soiled towel. Their mechanism is too complex, subject to getting out of adjustment, and not very reliable in operation, which is quite important since a proper mechanism must function day after day without attention. For, the necessity of constant attention by the towel supplier and launderer is very uneconomical and makes the operation unprofitable. The new dispensing apparatus of my invention has been in service for weeks at a time without any attention except to replenish the supply of clean towels and remove the soiled towels for laundering. It has indeed proven a substantial step forward in the art of dispensing fabric articles.

The new dispensing apparatus of my invention for fabric articles comprises a receiving member which has means adapted to catch a fabric article that is placed in contact therewith. The apparatus has a dispensing member which has means to remove a fabric article from a stack upon operation of the dispensing member. And, means are .incorporated in the apparatus to operate the receiving and dispensing member. An important feature of my apparatus comprises means incorporated therewith which is operated by a fabric article on the receiving member during its operation. This means is adapted to provide for and control operation of the dispensing member to remove a fabric article from the stack of those which are to be dispensed. The new apparatus of my invention functions to remove a fabric article from the stack of same upon placing another fabric article on the receiving member and operating the apparatus.

The new dispensing apparatus of my invention has been found to be of particular value in dispensing clean cloth towels upon the insertion therein of a like towel which is soiled, and operating the apparatus. My new apparatus has been tested in actual use in a garage to dispense cloth 2,713,931 Patented July 26, 1955 wiping towels, and has been found particularly advantageous. The machine is substantially foolproof in that it will not deliver a clean towel unless another towel is inserted, and it will not deliver more than one towel upon the insertion of a single soiled towel. Paper, other refuse, and the like, cannot be used to operate my apparatus, and the employee workman cannot obtain more than one clean towel by retrieving the soiled towel which he has inserted. Towels are not lost or misplaced. Greasy and oily towels are not left lying around, which is not safe, creating a fire hazard. The new apparatus of my invention is easy and economical to manufacture and it has been found simple and economical to service and maintain.

It is an object of this invention to provide new dispensing means.

It is another object of this invention to provide new apparatus for dispensing a fabric article upon insertion therein of another fabric article.

Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for dispensing clean cotton cloth wiping towels or rags upon the insertion into the apparatus of a like soiled towel and operating the apparatus.

Other objects and advantages of the new dispensing apparatus of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure.

Drawings accompany and are a part of this disclosure. Such drawings depict preferred specific embodiments of the new fabric article dispensing apparatus of my invention, particularly designed to dispense a cotton cloth towel upon the insertion therein of another cotton cloth towel and operating the mechanism, and it is to be understood that the drawings are not to unduly limit the scope of my invention.

in the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective outer view, with some inner mechanism outlined thereon, of a preferred specific embodiment of the fabric article dispensing apparatus of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view in cross section, partly cut away, through the apparatus showing the receiving member and dispensing member and control means therewith in position just prior to operation to dispense a towel and just after a soiled towel has been inserted into the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view, partly in cross section and partly cut away, of the apparatus of my invention showing the dispensing apparatus, clean towel storage means, and operating means in relation to the receiving member and in the same relative position as that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of the apparatus of my invention, partly cut away and partly in cross section, showing the dispensing member and the operating means in relation to the receiving member and clean towel chute and in position for delivery of a clean towel after a soiled towel on the receiving member has been taken into the apparatus and properly tripped the control means.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view in cross section showing the receiving member of the apparatus in the position shown in Fig. 4 in relation to the operating arm of the control means.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dispensing member of the aparatus of my invention, broken completely in its middle portion to show same from each end thereof and in relation to the operating means therefor.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of preferred control means for the apparatus of my invention, which controls to allow the dispensing member to dispense a fabric article only upon insertion of a fabric article into the apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a preferred wiring diagram for the switches and solenoid operated stop means preferably used along The towel dispensing apparatus of my invention is housed in a closed cabinet, and is operated to deliver a clean towel by inserting a soiled towel therein through an upper opening covered by hood 10. The cabinet has an opening 12 through which a clean towel is delivered upon operating the dispenser. Means project from the cabinet which are operated after insertion of a soiled towel, and 1 these means can conveniently be pedal 14 or an arm member operated by hand pressure. If for some reason the inserted soiled towel is not caught to allow'for operating my dispensing means, it passes through the cabinet' means through chute 16 and out through an opening in the front of the cabinet in the lower end of the chute. It

has been found that either or both sides of the cabinet can be made removable so that one can get into same to inspect, repair, recharge with clean towels, remove soiled towels, etc. The lower and rear portions of the cabinet can conveniently be used to store the soiled towels which are inserted in order to operate the apparatus.

An oscillatable receiving member 18 is rotatably mounted within the cabinet by means of a shaft 20 with spring 50 is loaded, and upon release of pedal 14 pulley line 26 is retracted by spring 50 to rotate pulleys 28 and 40 in the opposite direction, in turn rotating member 18 in the opposite direction and with pawl 42 and ratchet finger 44 out of engagement repositioning pulley 40 for subsequent similar rotation of roller 34, respectively. Upon pushing pedal 14 downward from its position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, member 18 is rotated until lip 32 catches stop which prevents further rotation of member 18,

and member 34 is rotated to the position of Fig. 4 because ratchet finger 44 and pawl 42 are in engagement. The positions of the members after operation of pedal 14 are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The positions of Figs. 2 and 3 are referred to as at-rest position, and the position of and to a spiral spring 56 in the other end, and spring56 which it turns. This oscillatable member 18 has means to catch a cloth towel thereon, preferably a row of teeth 22 on the face thereof, preferablyas shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. These teeth 22 catch a soiled towel 24 when dropped into the chute covered by hood 10, when the receiving member 18 of the apparatus of my invention is in normal at-rest position, the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The substantially semicircular drum-shaped member 18 is oscillated back and forth by force exerted through a pulley line 26 and a pulley 28 which is mounted on shaft 29 to turn same and in turn rotate member 18. A stop member 30 is fixedly mounted in the cabinet, and this stop 30 limits the rotation of member 18 in both directions of rotation. Lip 32 of member 18 catches stop 30 upon rotation in one direction, and the drum 18 itself catches stop 36 upon rotation in the other direction. My apparatus uniquely utilizes a distinctive curvature of the face of the towel receiving drum 18 in this latter portion to aid in the operation of the control mechanism of my apparatus, as will be set forth hereinafter.

A dispensing roller member 34 is rotatably mounted in the cabinet by means of shaft 36. This roller 34 has means thereon to catch a fabric towel, and I find that such is preferably a row of spaced teeth 38 longitudinally disposed on the face thereof, five or six spaced teeth having been found suitable. Force exerted through pulley line 26 and a pulley 46 mounted to freely rotate on shaft 36 is used to rotate member 34 when the pawl 42 pivotally mounted on member 34 is caught by the ratchet tooth 44 fixed on pulley 40. I have found it convenient to use a small leaf spring to hold pawl 42 in engagement with ratchet 44. Thus, pulley 40 turns dispensing roller 34 with it when turned in one direction, and'rides free on shaft 36 of turning member 34 when pulley 40 is turned in the opposite direction.

Pulley line 26 passes over a guide pulley 48 and is at tached to pedal 14 in one end. The other end of pulley line 26 is attached to a spiral spring 50 which is in turn attached to the cabinet means or another convenient fixed member. When operating pedal 14 is pushed downwardly to extend pulley line 26 to operate the mechanism by rotating pulleys 28 and 40, to in turn rotate oscillatable member 18 and to operate dispensing roller 34 with pawl 42 and ratchet tooth 44 in engagement, respectively,

is fixed to the cabinet or another suitable stationary member. A mounting member 58 having a bearing (not shown) for shaft 36 is used to mount the assembly within the cabinet so that arm 52, pitman 54 and spring 56 are free to operate to rotate member 34 when desired. This roller'34 rotating mechanism operates as follows. When pedal 14 is depressed from the position of Fig. 3 to rotate roller 34 to the position of Fig. 4, spring 56 is extended and pitrnan 54 moves to a past center position as shown in Fig. 4. Spring 56 is then loaded and would continue to rotate member 34 except for stop member 60 attached to member 34 being caught and held by the stop arm 62 of the solenoid operated stop 64. When member 34 is held by such stops 60 and 62, it is in position to deliver to slot 12 a clean towel which has been picked up on teeth 38 during the turning of member 34 from the position of Fig. 3 to the position shown by Fig. 4.

Inclined chute means 66 are mounted in the cabinet,

and these chute means hold and store a supply of folded clean towels 68 which are to be dispensed by the apparatus. I have found it desirable to fold the towels once with the fold at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 3. The stack of towels 68 rests against roller 34 at the bottom of the stack thereof, and as the towels are removed from the stack by member 34, they move down the inclined chute 66. A weighting member 78 having wheel 72 which rides on fixed track 74 supports the stack of towels 68 on the upper end thereof, and this weighting and supporting member 70 along with the force of gravity moves the towels down chute 66. In connection herewith, arm 76 with its end hook is preferably used to lock the mechanism when the supply of clean towels 68 is exhausted. Arm member 76 is pivotally mounted by bracket means 78 which is in turn mounted on towel guide means 80. A weight 82 and trigger 84 opposite thereto are mounted to pivot with arm 76. Wheel 72 contacts trigger 84 when chute 66 is empty of towels 68 to force the hook of arm 76 into notch 86 in pulley 28 to hold said pulley from turning. Towel guide is mounted in the cabinet, preferably as shown, and guides the towel being dispensed so that its edge is deposited in cabinet opening 12, thereby allowing the apparatus operator to pull the entire towel out of the dispenser and from in contact with teeth 38 of member 34.

The control means for my dispensing apparatus operates to allow roller 34 to deliver a clean towel to opening 12 of the cabinet upon the operation of receiving member 18 with a soiled towel 24 caught thereonrby the row of teeth 22, the towel having been inserted into the upper end of the chute covered by hood 10. As receiving member 18 is rotated from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 5, the towel first passes under fixed protecting shield 88 which preferably has a'row of teeth on the lower edge thereof to prevent pulling back a towel which has passed under shield 88 on member 18, that is a towel put into the machine and held by the end thereof or by something attached to the towel. This prevents operation of the dispensing apparatus of my invention more than once with the same soiled towel. After the towel passes under shield member 88, it contacts lever arm member 9!) to raise same around its pivot point 91. Arm member 90 in the absence of a towel on member 18 rides on a track on the face of the member. Upon the pivoting of arm member 99 by contact with towel 24, lever member 92 is raised from its position shown in Figs. 2 and 7 to pivot lever member 94 around its pivot point 96 to close switch 98. After towel 24 has passed under arm 0, the arm falls back into contact with member 18 and lever member 92 is moved downwardly to its original position. However, switch 93 remains closed since the pin 199 connecting members 92 and 94 moves in slot 102 in member 94, and member 94 is not pivoted. When member 18 is turned all the way over until lip 32 contacts stop 3f the arm member 9%) is lowered past its normal position as a result in the increased curvature of the face and track of receiving drum 13 for member 99. This allows the opposite end of arm member fit? to raise to close switch 1%. Normal position for arm 99 is shown in Fig. 2 and in solid lines on Fig. 7. The positions of arm member 98 for the passing of towel 24 and when member 18 is turned all the way over are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, and arm member $70 is shown in dotted lines in normal position and when a towel is passed thereunder in dotted lines on Fig. 5. A spiral spring 1136 fixed to arm member 9% and the cabinet or other suitably fixed member is preferably used to urge arm member 98 into contact with member 18 and to urge it into switch closing position relative to switch 194. Since switch 8 is closed on the raising of arm 99 due to the passing thereunder of towel 2 such remaining closed, and switch fill-i is closed upon receiving member 18 being completely rotated, the circuit of Fig. 8 to operate solenoid 64 is closed, and solenoid 64 will operate to retract stop member 62, thus releasing roller member 34 for turning by the retraction of spring 56, spring 56 having been loaded during the rotation of receiving member 18 from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Figs. 4 and 5. As one skilled in the art can see, member 34 can be rotated to the towel delivery position of Fig. 4 and spring 56 loaded without a towel in contact with member 18 to operate arm 99. But in order to operate the control mechanism to release stop 62 and thus release roller 34 for delivery of a towel subsequently, a towel 24 must be taken into the apparatus by member 13 to raise arm 9i; and in turn close switch 8.

To reset the control mechanism, I preferably employ a cam F38 mounted on shaft 36 to turn therewith, and upon rotation of roller 34 to deliver a towel from chute 66 to opening 12, that is from the position of Fig. 4 to the position of Fig. 3, this cam contacts the end portion of lever member 94 opposite the portion having slot 102 to pivot member 94 to result in opening switch 5% The operation of the preferred specific embodiment of the apparatus of my invention as shown in the drawings is as follows. The person desiring a clean towel inserts a soiled towel into the cabinet through hood it), waiting a suflicient time for the towel 24 to fall onto the receiving drum 18 where it is caught by teeth 22. Next, the pedal 14 is pushed downwardly. This extends pulley line 26 and turns pulleys 28 and 49. Towel 24 is grasped firmly by teeth 22 as drum 18 begins to rotate. If towel 24, or any other object, is not caught by teeth 22, it will fall downwardly and come to rest at the bottom of chute 16 where it can be removed through the opening in the cabinet. The soiled towel can then be reinserted for operation of the apparatus.

Towel 24 being caught on teeth 22 passes under member 88 and contacts arm member 99 to raise same. This in turn raises link 92 to pivot member 94 and close switch 98.

After towel 24 passes under feeler arm 99, the arm falls back to rest on the outer edge of the face of receiving drum 18, aided in this by the action of spring 106. As a result, link member 92 moves downwardly but does not pivot member 5 and switch 98 remains closed. Member 13 continues to rotate until lip 32 contacts stop 30 at which time soiled towel 24 drops from member 18 into the storage space for same in the bottom of the cabinet. At this time pedal 14 is at the bottom of its travel, and feeler arm 96 falls downward further due to the increased curvature of the face of the rim of member 18. This action of arm 9% results in closing micro-switch 104, and as one skilled in the art can see, this switch 104 can only be closed upon pressing member 14 completely down, and providing towel 24 has passed completely under arm 90. The two switches 98 and 104 are now closed, and since they are wired in series with solenoid 64, it will become energized to retract stop 62.

During the intake of soiled towel 24 on receiving member 18 as set forth hereinbefore, the dispensing mechanism operates as follows. As pedal 14 is depressed pulley line 26 extends to turn pulley 4b and in turn to rotate roller 34 with ratchet 44 and pawl 42 in engagement. Upon the turning of roller 34, spring 56 is extended by pitman 54 as arm 52 turns with roller 34. The pitman pivot point passes up and past the center line of shaft 36. Spring 56 will then recoil to continue to rotate roller 34 in the same direction until stop 60 comes in contact with the solenoid plunger stop 62. Since at this time pedal 14 is fully depressed, and switches 98 and 194 are closed, the solenoid 64 will be actuated to retract plunger 62. Upon such retraction, roller .34 is released, and spring 56 recoils to rotate roller 34-. During the cycle of rotation of roller 34, the teeth 39 pick up a clean towel 68 from the lower end of chute 66 and pull the clean towel on the roller past the guide 80, and an edge of the towel is placed in opening 12 in the cabinet. The person using the device then can grasp the end of the towel and pull it out of the cabinet. Also, during completion of the rotation cycle of roller 34, cam 168 fixed on shaft 36 contacts member 4 to pivot same and cut off switch 98. Switch 98 will then remain in off position until actuated by another towel on member 18 passing under feeler arm 90.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, various modifications of this invention can be made, or followed, in the light of this disclosure and discussion, without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure or from the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for dispensing clean fabric towels therefrom one at a time upon inserting a soiled fabric towel into said apparatus, which comprises, in combination: cabinet means; a chute within said cabinet means, said cabinet having an opening into an upper end portion of said chute to receive an inserted soiled towel and an opening into a lower end portion of said chute to receive a returned soiled towel; an oscillatable member rotatably mounted and a fixed stop therefor mounted in said cabinet, said oscillatable member having a curved face portion with a curved track portion on the periphery thereof and teeth adapted to catch a soiled towel inserted into said chute when said member is in normal at-rest position, a portion adapted to contact said stop to prevent rotation of said member in one direction and position said teeth to receive said towel, and a portion opposite said last-named portion adapted to contact said stop to prevent rotation of said member past a desired point in the other direction; an inclined chute within said cabinet means adapted to hold a stack of clean towels; track supported supporting and weighting means adapted to, along with the force of gravity, move said towels down said inclined chute as towels are removed from said stack at the lower end portion thereof; an elongated cylindrical member rotatably mounted in said cabinet means at the lower end of said inclined chute with its longitudinal axis transverse the longitudinal axis of said inclined chute, said member having teeth and a stop on the outside thereof and being adapted to support and retain said towels in said inclined chute and upon rotation to pick up a towel from the lower end of said stack on said teeth and deliver same to an opening in said cabinet means; a first pulley mounted and disposed to turn with and rotate said oscillatable member; a second pulley freely mounted on the shaft of said cylindrical member at one end portion adapted to turn with and rotate said member to a cocked position and to rotate free of said member; ratchet means mounted on said cylindrical member and second pulley adapted to engage to turn said member to said cocked position with said pulley when it is turned in one direction, to release said member from turning with said pulley when it is turned in the other direction and to reengage in cylindrical member turning position upon turning said pulley in its last-named direction of turning; an operating member proiecting from said cabinet means; a pulley line connected in one end portion to said operating member, passing first over'said first pulley, second over said second pulley and being a spiral spring in its other end portion, the outer end portion of said spring being fixed, said operating member being adapted to extend said pulley line upon operation to rotate said oscillatable member and to turn said cylindrical n ember to said cocked position, and said spring portion of said pulley line being adapted to retract said pulley line and rotate said oscillatable member back to said normal position; a fixed spiral spring swivelly attached to said cylindrical member at the other end portion on the outer edge thereof, said spring adapted to be extended upon rotation of said member to said cocked position and to continue to rotate said member to pick up and deliver a clean towel from said stack upon retraction of said spring when said member is released from said cocked position; a normally open first switch; an arm member pivotally mounted between its ends in said cabinet means, one end portion of said arm member contacting and riding on said track on said oscillatable member and the other end portion being adapted to open and close said first switch upon pivot of said arm member and having spiral spring means attached thereto adapted to urge said arm member into contact with the operating means of said first switch, said arm member and track being positioned and adapted so that said first-named portion of said arm member is raised by the passage of a soiled towel thereunder upon rotation of said oscillatable member having same and to allow said first switch to be closed after such passage; a normally open second switch; lever means pivotally con nected to said arm member in said first-named portion thereof adapted to close said second switch upon said raising of said arm member portion and to keep said second switch closed upon lowering of said first-named arm member portion after said passage of said soiled towel thereunder; a solenoid operated stop wired in series circuit with said first and second switches and a source of electric power for operating same, said stop positioned and adapted to catch said cylindrical member stop when said switches are open and to release said stop when said circuit is closed by said two switches so that said spring attached to said cylindrical member can act to rotate said member; a cam mounted to turn with said cylindrical member adapted to contact said lever means after rotation of said member from said cocked position to reopen said second switch; means actuatable by said track supported weighting means adapted to lock said oscillatable member against rotation when said clean towels are exhausted; said apparatus adapted to position for hand Withdrawal from said cabinet means a clean towel upon inserting a soiled towel into the upper end portion of said first-named chute and operating said operating member; and said cabinet means having a compartment for receiving and storing inserted soiled towels.

2. Apparatus for dispensing a fabric article therefrom upon inserting a similar fabric article into such apparatus, which comprises, in combination: cabinet means; first chute means within said cabinet means, said cabinet having openings into the upper end and lower end portions of said 1 chute means; an oscillatable member rotatably mounted in said cabinet means; stop means mounted in said cabinet adapted to prevent rotation of said oscillatable member past a desired point in either direction of rotation; said oscillatable member having a curved face portion having a track and means adapted to catch a fabric article inserted into said chute means when said member is in normal at-rest position; second chute means within said cabinet means adapted to hold a stack of fabric articles; means adapted to maintain said stack of fabric articles in proper position in said chute means and aid in moving said articles down said chute; roller means mounted in said cabinet means at the lower end portion of said chute, said roller means having means thereon to grasp a fabric article and being adapted upon rotation to pick up a fabric article from the lower end portion of said stack of same and deliver such article to an opening in said cabinet means; first pulley means adapted to turn with and rotate said oscillatable member; second pulley means adapted to turn with and rotate said roller to a cocked position and to rotate free of said roller; means adapted to engage said second pulley means and said roller to rotate said roller to said cocked position, to release said roller from turning with said pulley when said pulley is turned in the other direction and to reengage said pulley and roller in position to rotate said roller to said cocked position; means with which to operate said apparatus adapted to be actuated from outside said cabinet means; a'pulley line connected in one end portion to said apparatus operating means, said pulley line passing over said first pulley means, said second pulley means and having spring means attached to its other end portion, said apparatus operating means upon operation being adapted to extend said pulley line to rotate said oscillatable member and to turn said roller to said cocked position, and said spring means being adapted to retract said pulley line to rotate said oscillatable member back to its normal position; spring means attached to said roller, said spring means adapted to be extended upon said rotation of said roller to said cocked position and to rotate said roller to deliver a fabric article from said stack of same upon retraction of said spring when said roller is released from said cocked position; a first switch; an arm member pivotally mounted between its ends in said cabinet means, one end portion of said arm member riding on said track on said oscillatable member and the other end portion being adapted to open and close said first switch upon pivot of said arm member and having means therewith adapted to urge said arm member into contact with the operating means of said first switch to close same; said arm member and track being adapted so that said arm member is raised by the passage of a fabric article thereunder upon rotation of said oscillatable member having same thereon and so that said first switch is closed after such passage; a second switch; lever means connected to said arm member adapted to close said second switch upon said raising of said arm member and to keep said second switch closed upon said lowering of said arm member after passage of said fabric article thereunder; solenoid operated stop means in circuit with said first and second switches and a source of power for operating same, said stop means adaptedto hold said roller in said cocked position when said switches are open and to release said roller when said switches are closed; cam means operatable upon rotation of said roller from said cocked position adapted to open said second switch; said dispensing apparatus adapted to position for hand withdrawal from said cabinet means a fabric article upon inserting another fabric article into the upper end portion of said firstnamed chute and actuating said apparatus operating means; and said cabinet means having a compartment for storing inserted fabric articles.

3. Apparatus for dispensing fabric articles, which cornprises, in combination: chute means; an oscillatable member rotatably mounted; stop means adapted to prevent rotation of said oscillatable member past a desired point in either direction of rotation; said oscillatable member having guide means therewith and means adapted to catch a fabric article inserted into said chute means when said member is in at-rest position; means adapted to hold a stack of fabric articles; a dispensing member having means to grasp a fabric article and being adapted upon operation to pick up a fabric article from the lower end portion of said stack of same and deliver such article; pulley means with said oscillatable member and said dispensing member adapted to rotate said oscillatable member in one direction and to turn said dispensing member into cocked position and to rotate said oscillatable member in the opposite direction while said dispensing member is maintained in said cocked position by other means; means with said dispensing member adapted to be loaded upon said turning of said dispensing member to said cocked position and to turn said dispensing member to deliver a fabric article from said stack upon unloading of said means when said dispensing member is released from said cocked position; a first switch; first lever means engageable with said guide means on said oscillatable member and adapted to open and close said first switch upon pivot of said lever means as a result of contact therewith by a fabric article on said oscillatable member during operation of said member; 21 second switch; other lever means operatable by action of said first lever means adapted to close said second switch upon said operation of said first lever means and to keep said second switch closed after passage of said fabric article from in contact with said first lever means; solenoid operated stop means in circuit with said switches and a source of power for operating same, said stop means adapted to hold said dispensing member in said cocked position when said switches are open and to release said dispensing member when said switches are closed; means operatable upon turning of said dispensing member from said cocked position adapted to open said second switch; operating means adapted to operate said pulley means; and said apparatus adapted to deliver a fabric article from said stack of same upon inserting another fabric article into said chute and actuating said operating means.

4. Apparatus for dispensing fabric articles, which comprises, in combination: an oscillatable member rotatably mounted, said oscillatable member having means adapted to catch a fabric article brought into contact therewith; a dispensing member having means to grasp a fabric article and being adapted upon operation to pick up a fabric article from the lower end portion of a stack of same; means with said oscillatable member and said dispensing member adapted to turn said oscillatable member in one direction and to turn said dispensing member into a held position ready to deliver a fabric article and to turn said oscillatable member in the opposite direction while maintaining said dispensing member in its last-named position; means adapted to be actuated upon said turning of said dispensing member to said position to grasp a fabric article and adapted to turn said dispensing member to deliver a fabric article from said stack when said dispensing member is released from said held position; lever means actuatable by contact with a fabric article on said oscillatable member during operation of same, said lever means adapted to release said dispensing member from said held position upon said contact with said fabric article; means releaseable by said lever means adapted to hold said dispensing member in said held position ready to deliver a fabric article from said stack of same; and said apparatus adapted to deliver a fabric articie from said stack of same upon placing another fabric article on said oscillatable member and operating said apparatus.

5. Apparatus for dispensing fabric articles, which comprises, combination, a receiving member having means adapted to catch a fabric article, a dispensing member having means to remove a fabric article from a stack of same, operating means with said receiving and dispensing members adapted to operate said receiving member and to position said dispensing member for removing said fabric article from said stack and to return said receiving member to its receiving position while said dispensing member remains in its last-named position, releaseable means adapted to hold said dispensing member in said last-named position, means adapted upon release of said releaseable means to operate said dispensing member to remove said fabric article from said stack, control means actuatable by contact with a fabric article on said receiving means during operation of same adapted to release said dispensing member from said position to remove said fabric article from said stack, and said apparatus adapted to remove a fabric article from a stack of same upon placing another fabric article on said receiving member and operating said apparatus.

6. Apparatus for dispensing fabric articles, which comprises, in combination, a receiving member having means adapted to catch a fabric article contacted therewith, a dispensing member having means to remove a fabric article from a stack of same, operating means with said receiving and dispensing member adapted to operate said receiving member and to position said dispensing member for removing said fabric article from said stack, means adapted to operate said dispensing member to remove said fabric article from said stack from said lastnamed position, control means operatable by contact with a fabric article on said receiving means during operation of same adapted to provide for said dispensing member to be operated to remove said fabric article from said stack, and said apparatus adapted to remove a fabric article from a stack of same upon placing another fabric article on said receiving member and operating said apparatus.

7. Apparatus for dispensing fabric articles, which comprises, in combination, a receiving member having means adapted to catch a fabric article contacted therewith, a dispensing member having means to remove a fabric article from a stack of same upon operating said dispensing member, operating means adapted to operate said receiving member and said dispensing member, means operated by a fabric article on said receiving means during operation of same adapted to provide for said dispensing member to be operated to remove said fabric article from said stack, and said apparatus adapted to remove a fabric article from a stack of same upon placing another fabric article on said receiving member and operating said apparatus.

No references cited. 

